Charging machine for pipe mills



Sept. 15, 1925. 1,553,760

F L ELLJS CHARGING. MACHINE FOR PIPE MTLLS Filed March 1924 3Sheets-Sheet 1 I'NVENTUI? W'TA/ESSES I [076W ZWA 566w Sept. 15, 1925'1,553,760

F. l. ELLIS CHARGING MACHINE FOR PIPE MILLS Filed March 5, 1924 3Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. III.

lNl/ENTOR w/ TNEssEs 51. xawazaw f X Sept. 15, 1925 F. I. ELLIS CHARGINGMACHINE FOR PIPE] MILLS F iled March ic,

1924 3 Sheets-Sheet r/// I I m/ W Q f 1 0% M/ M U m M J M 7 WITNESSESPatented Sept. 15, 1925 UNITED STA m 1-. ELLIS, or museums, rmmsszwmm. I

CHARGING MACHINE' PI PE MILLS.

Application fileilMarc'h 5,1924. Serial No. 697,023.

Toall whom it may concern.- Be it known that I, FRANK I. ELLrs, residingat Pittsburgh, in the county: of Adlegheny and State of Pennsylvaniznacitizen 5 of the United States, have invented or discovered certain newand useful Improvements in Charging Machines for Pipe Mills,

of which improvements the following is a specification. V v 1 Myinvention relates to improvements in charging machines ,for heatingfurnaces used in conjunction with pipe mills. The object in view is tocause the article which is being conveyed to be more perfectlyresponsive to the driving impulse which the table imparts to it, 7

. A charging machine adapted for 1186111 connection with a pipe-millfurnace is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Fig. I is a view ofthe machine in plan from above. Fig. II isaview of itin side elevation.f Figs.- III and IV are views-in detail drawn to a larger scale; bot-hof theseare views-in vertical section {the plane of section in Fig.- IIIis longitudinal with respect to the machine, and therplane of section inFig. IV is transverse with-respect to the machine. In Fig. IV the planeof section for Fig. III is indicated by the dotted line III"-II I, andsimilarly in Fig. III, the plane of section for Fig. IV is indicated bythe dotted line II 1V. Fig. V is a View in plan from above of theassembl I of Figs. III and IV. Figs. VI and VII s ow in plan from above,and in transverse vertical section, a modification of the nozzle whichforms part of the structure of Figs. III and V. Figs. VIII and IX showin longitudinal and transverse sections a roller for the machinemodified in its structure, and in itself containing the feature in whichmy invention resides.

Referring first to Figs. I and II, the table of the charging machine isthere shown to be composed of a succession of rollers 1, 2, 3, and 4,set in parallelism, and in this case arranged in pairs, the rollers ofeach pair arranged at relatively short intervals one from another. Theserollers are all of them positively driven upon stationary axes by suchmeans as are indicated in Fig. I, or equivalent means, and all of therollers are driven uniformly in direction and speed. The rollers of sucha conveyor, so driven, are commonly spoken of as live rollers. Thesource of power in this instance is shown to be a motor 5. Understandingthe rollers to be rotating in anticlockwise direction as seen in Fig.II, it it will be understood that the table is then active to carry inright to left direction,

articles laid upon it. 'A ski'dway formed of a succession of angle bars6, 7 8, 9., l0, and 11 is shown, adapted to receive and carry material"in preparation for placement upon the 'tableitself, In Figs. II and IIIap ile of skelp S is shown to be resting upon this skid'way. In theoperation of: the mill: it will be understood that such a pile of skelpis assembled on the skidway adjacent. to the table and that attendantworkmen remove the skelp one by one (or two by two, if preferred), fromthe pile, and place them upon the table, by which they are al'itomatically carried to the furnace.

The: problem is to. cause the skelp to be freely responsive to. theimpulsion of the table. Skelp is relatively long and relativelyfleiiihle I'naterial,v and itis desirable that it shallreceiveimmediately and from and to end, or a proximately so, theimpulion of "the table, to the, end that it shall advance smoothly. andacquire momentum to carry it tothe desiredplace, as for example, to thehearthof a heating furnace. I

In my invention is found a succession of nozzles 12 arranged between therollers of each pair, and I connect these nozzles through an eyacuationpipe 13, and I cause air-to be; exhausted through the pipe 13, to theend that suction shall be exerted upon the article which shall overliethe nozzle.

Referring particularly to Figs. III and IV, it will be seen that thenozzles 12 have an intake which extends in substantially horizontalplane, and the plane is substantially coincident with the plane tangentto the upper surfaces of both of the adjacent rollers. The intakefurthermore is formed as a grid; and, with attention directed upon Figs.III and IV, it will be understood that when skelp A taken from the pileS is laid upon the rollers 1 and 2, it will overlie the nozzle 12, andthat'because of the suctionexerted through this nozzle, the skelp A willbe the more closely held in. tangency upon the roller surfaces, andbemore immediately and entirely responsive to the drive which the rollersimpart to it, impelling it in right to left direction (Figs. II, III).-

Comparing Figs. VI and VII with Figs. I

V and IV, it will be perceived that the nozzles may be modified in shapeand provided with a stopor abutment at 14. Speaking with more precision,the grid with which the nozzle is equipped may be removable, and inplace of the grid shown in Figs. IV and V, such a grid as that shown inFigs. VI and VII may be introduced. The grid in the latter case has twofeatures; one is that the effective area of the nozzle is reduced,increasing the suction effect, the other is that the stop 14 is providedagainst which the applied skelp may be aligned, and in consequence,caused to advance in an accurately defined course.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. VIII and IX, the suction nozzleis merged in the formation of the roller itself. Here the roller takesthe form of a hollow drum 15, and the cylindrical face of this hollowdrum is of grid form. Concentrically mounted within the drum is anon-rotatable nozzle 16, with a suction connection 17. The hollow drumis rotatedand serves to impel the skelp, and always as it rotates thereis a suction effect at the highest point, where skelp rests upon it, andso the same general end is achieved as in the form shown in the earlierfigures. V

In speaking of the structures of Figs. III and IV, I said that theintake of the nozzle extended in a plane substantially coincident withthe plane tangent to the adjacent rollers 1 and 2. It is, in point offact, disposed slightly lower than that tangent plane, for thus theskelp may be held more effectively to contact with the rollers.

I should have said before, in speaking of the table as shown in Figs. Iand II, that it is a movable table, mounted upon tracks 18, and that itcarries motor 19, by which it may be shifted along the tracks from placeto place. At one point it may receive from the cooling beds of arolling-mill its load of skelp in the form of the pile S, and at anotherpoint it may deliver its load, piece by piece, in the manner described,to the heating furnace of a welding machine.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a charging machine for a pipe mill in combination with a pluralityof rollers positively rotated upon stationary axes and adapted to driveforward skelp resting upon them, s'uction means acting from beneathuponthe applied material, and holding it to firmer contact with the rollers.

2. In a charging machine for a pipe mill a conveyor table formed of liverollers, each positively rotated upon a stationary axis, and suctionmeans including a nozzle arranged beneath the pathway of advance ofmaterial upon the conveyor table.

3. In a charging machine for a pi e mill a conveyor table consisting ofa p urality of rollers positively rotated upon stationary axes andarranged in parallel succession, means for feeding a skelp to suchconveyor table in a direction parallel to the axes of the roller, and asuccession of suction devices, each including a nozzle arranged beneaththe pathway of advance of the material upon the conveyor table and atsuccessive points in the length of the conveyor table.

4. In a charging machine for a pipe mill, a conveyortable formed of liverollers, each turning upon a stationary axis, said rollers adapted toreceive and to sustain and to impel skelp resting by gravity upon them,one of said rollers being hollow and provided with an orificed surface,in combination with means for exerting suction through the orificedsurface of the roller last named upon skelp resting by gravity upon it.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

FRANK I. ELLIS.

